T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
 

I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber &
Faber publication today.

What makes it interesting is the inscription on the ffep:

at Bletchley,
morne plaine,
of fevrier 1944

A curious mix of English and French. The words "morne
plaine" come from a Victor Hugo poem. The line is:
Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, morne plaine!

The usual translation would be "dismal plain", but this has
been written into a book of T. S. Eliot's poetry, so I think
the inscriber intended us to read - in English - "waste land".

Since this waste land of February, 1944, was viewed from
Bletchley, we can infer that the inscriber was engaged in
the code-breaking activities that went on there. That was
the month, by the way, that the huge computer designed by
Alan Turing (today is his 100th birthday) was turned on at
Bletchley Park.

The inscriber would be well-educated, likely either English
or French, to appreciate the poetry of Victor Hugo as well
as that of Eliot. But Bletchley was a large installation
and I find that a review of the people who worked there
yields too many possibilities for me to make any further
deduction.

--
Francis A. Miniter

Mesure is Medicine þauh þou muche ȝeor[n]e.
Al nis not good to þe gost þat þe bodi lykeþ,
Ne lyflode to þe licam þat leof is to þe soule.

William Langland, The Vision of Piers Plowman
Passus I, lines 33 - 35

T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
 

On 23/06/2012 18:04, Francis A. Miniter wrote:
I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber & Faber
publication today.

The book is a bit of an oddity: it's a reprint (1941) of the second half
of "Collected Poems" (1936). It presumably contains "Burnt Norton", but
not "East Coker" which had been published separately in 1940. ("Burnt
Norton" was also published separately in 1941, as was "Dry Salvages".)
--
John Briggs

T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
 

On 6/23/2012 16:49 PM, John Briggs wrote:
On 23/06/2012 18:04, Francis A. Miniter wrote:
I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber
& Faber
publication today.

The book is a bit of an oddity: it's a reprint (1941) of the
second half of "Collected Poems" (1936). It presumably
contains "Burnt Norton", but not "East Coker" which had been
published separately in 1940. ("Burnt Norton" was also
published separately in 1941, as was "Dry Salvages".)


You are right. I note that The Four Quartets was not
published until 1943, sometime after my Nov. 1942 printing.

--
Francis A. Miniter

Mesure is Medicine þauh þou muche ȝeor[n]e.
Al nis not good to þe gost þat þe bodi lykeþ,
Ne lyflode to þe licam þat leof is to þe soule.

William Langland, The Vision of Piers Plowman
Passus I, lines 33 - 35

T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
 

On 24/06/2012 00:04, Francis A. Miniter wrote:
On 6/23/2012 16:49 PM, John Briggs wrote:
On 23/06/2012 18:04, Francis A. Miniter wrote:
I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber
& Faber
publication today.

The book is a bit of an oddity: it's a reprint (1941) of the
second half of "Collected Poems" (1936). It presumably
contains "Burnt Norton", but not "East Coker" which had been
published separately in 1940. ("Burnt Norton" was also
published separately in 1941, as was "Dry Salvages".)


You are right. I note that The Four Quartets was not published until
1943, sometime after my Nov. 1942 printing.

Yes - although "Little Gidding" had also been published separately by then.

(It's "Four Quartets" *not* "The Four Quartets" - just as I should have
written "The Dry Salvages" not "Dry Salvages".)
--
John Briggs

T. S. Eliot, Later Poems 1925-1935
 

On 23/06/2012 2:04 PM, Francis A. Miniter wrote:
I picked up a second impression (Nov. 1942) of this Faber & Faber
publication today.

What makes it interesting is the inscription on the ffep:

at Bletchley,
morne plaine,
of fevrier 1944

A curious mix of English and French. The words "morne plaine" come from
a Victor Hugo poem. The line is:
Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, morne plaine!

The usual translation would be "dismal plain", but this has been written
into a book of T. S. Eliot's poetry, so I think the inscriber intended
us to read - in English - "waste land".

Since this waste land of February, 1944, was viewed from Bletchley, we
can infer that the inscriber was engaged in the code-breaking activities
that went on there. That was the month, by the way, that the huge
computer designed by Alan Turing (today is his 100th birthday) was
turned on at Bletchley Park.

The inscriber would be well-educated, likely either English or French,
to appreciate the poetry of Victor Hugo as well as that of Eliot. But
Bletchley was a large installation and I find that a review of the
people who worked there yields too many possibilities for me to make any
further deduction.

That's fascinating, Francis. To find something like that--it's an
historical document!

Catherine